ALBANY -- Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt have a lot in common. Both write brilliant songs marked by attention to detail and craft as much as by passion. Both draw from classic influences like country and soul without being bound by them. And both pepper their music and their patter with dry wit.

In short, they make a good team.

Tuesday they returned to The Egg, in tandem, sitting side by side and trading songs and stories. At this point they've done this gig for years, but they keep it fresh by actually chatting with each other and winging the set list as they go along.

Tuesday differed in its song selection from Lovett and Hiatt's last visit, obviously, but the arc of the evening was also a little different. Last time through, in 2008, Hiatt virtually interviewed Lovett, and he also played guitar on many of his pal's selection. This time he only joined in occasionally toward the end of the show, giving a little extra drive, for example, to Lovett's swinging "Cowboy Man."

Hiatt kicked off the evening with "My Old Friend," and from there out the duo maintained a strict one-for-me, one-for-you policy. The chatter early on was as entertaining as the songs, and by midshow things found a natural rhythm, with the songs coming quicker on one another's heels.

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Concert review

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: The Egg, Empire State Plaza, Albany

Length: 2 hours

Highlights: Encores of "Through Your Hands" and "This Old Porch"

The crowd: Completely sold out

Upcoming: Guitarist John Scofield and saxman Joe Lovano merge talents at The Egg on Sunday.

Hiatt has an enormous catalog to wade through, and while pinning a few of his best known songs like "Drive South" and "Thing Called Love" (which featured Lovett on the second verse), he felt free to visit other realms as well.

"The Open Road" surged; "Crossing Muddy Waters" was haunting; and "Tennessee Plats" featured some hot guitar picking.

Lovett, too, has cut a wide swath through contemporary American song. Where Hiatt can rock it, pump out a funky ballad and steer his way through a honky tonk tune, Lovett takes a leaner approach.

His songs are often elliptical, lyrically and harmonically, set against droning guitar figures just right for his slightly skewed tales.

The modern murder ballad "L.A. County" drew cheers; "Private Conversation" set his pace for the performance; and "Fiona" (with Hiatt on board) was a particular crowd-pleaser.

Occasionally the gentlemen's humor trumped brevity and sanity. A discussion of actor-singer Tom Wopat's shaving habits (including Lovett's mention of the "Wopatch," remnants at unshaven hair at the corners of the mouth) was almost surreal.

Other times, during the songs, every care but for being mesmerized fell away.

Lovett and Hiatt's encore, for example, was a master class in the simple, pure power of a well-made song.

Hiatt led with "Through Your Hands," a remarkable, pulsing ballad culled from 1990's "Stolen Moments." Even without a band's backing and Karen Peris' distinctive vocal additions, the song shone, a call to action for the heart.

Lovett's "This Old Porch," reaching back to his 1986 debut album, was pure Texas, built on haze and sense memory and the smell of smoke in the evening air. He sang it with the ache that only his voice owns and it was magical.

It was made clear that Lovett and Hiatt enjoy their visits to The Egg, alone and together. Let's hope they come back soon.